Tara Kindergartens

Tara Kindergartens 310-314 Hertford Road, Edmonton, London, N9 7HB

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Inspection date

Previous inspection date 26/03/2013 20/04/2009

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early years provision

This inspection: 3 Previous inspection: 2 How well the early years provision meets the needs of the range of children who attend The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children 3 The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the early years provision 3

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This provision is satisfactory

 Children are happy and well settled in the nursery, they benefit from and enjoy the close and caring relationships that they have developed with staff  The key person system is suitable in supporting children, particular babies in developing secure attachments with staff, consequently children are well settled.  There are suitable procedures in place for recruitment and vetting, staff are suitably qualified for their roles and are generally deployed well to support the children.  Staff use daily activities and experiences to promote children's mathematical skills.

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It is not yet good because

 the quality of observations between staff is variable and this impacts on the quality of planning to meet children's individual needs  staff do not manage children's behaviour consistently and as a result children are receiving mixed messages about the boundaries in place  self-evaluation is in the early stages and not yet effective in securing future improvements  the outdoor learning environment does not provide children with experiences across the different areas of learning to benefit those children who prefer to learn outdoors.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections of registered early years provision are:  scheduled at least once in every inspection cycle – the current cycle ends on 31 July

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Information about this inspection

 scheduled more frequently where Ofsted identifies a need to do so, for example where provision was previously judged inadequate  brought forward in the inspection cycle where Ofsted has received information that suggests the provision may not be meeting the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage or where assessment of the provision identifies a need for early inspection  prioritised where we have received information that the provision is not meeting the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and which suggests children may not be safe  scheduled at the completion of an investigation into failure to comply with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Information about this inspection

The provision is also registered on the voluntary and compulsory parts of the Childcare Register. This report includes a judgment about compliance with the requirements of that register.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector observed activities in all three base rooms and in the outdoor play area.  The inspector engaged in discussions with staff and children.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector looked at documentation, including records relating to children and staff, self-evaluation and questionnaires completed by parents.  The inspector engaged in discussions with the manager throughout the inspection.

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Inspection activities

 The inspector carried out a joint observation with the manager, of staff leading an activity with the children.

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Information about the setting

Tara Kindergarten Day Nursery opened in 1997. It is one of five privately owned nurseries and operates from three open-plan rooms on the ground floor of a three storey building in Edmonton. Access to the building is directly from the adjacent footpath. The nursery is registered on the Early Years Register and the compulsory and voluntary parts of the Childcare Register. It is open from 7.30am until 6.30pm from Monday to Friday all year round. Currently there are 104 children on roll. The nursery supports children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language. A total of 17 staff work with the children all hold a relevant childcare qualification and the manager holds Early Years Professional Status.

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must:

 improve observation and assessment to ensure quality and consistency, so that observations made on children highlight their levels of achievement, interests and learning styles, and use to plan challenging learning experiences tailored for each child reflecting those observations.

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must:

 ensure that the behaviour management procedures are fully implemented by all staff to ensure that children are given clear and consistent boundaries.

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 review the organisation of group times to ensure that the these are used effectively and focus on meeting all children's needsreview the effectiveness of the self- evaluation and performance management systems to ensure that there is a consistent focus on identifying areas of practice that may need improvement and enhancing staff's professional development

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 review the effectiveness of the self-evaluation and performance management systems to ensure that there is a consistent focus on identifying areas of practice that may need improvement and enhancing staff's professional development

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To further improve the quality of the early years provision the provider should:

 Improve the outdoor learning environment by providing activities and experiences in all areas of learning.

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who attend

Overall, children are making suitable progress and are achieving the expected levels of development. In the main they are appropriately supported by staff, who generally have a sound understanding of child development and their role in supporting children's learning. However, this is not consistently evident in practice. Children's starting points are identified using the information gathered from parents at the start of their child's placement.

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who attend

The educational programmes, generally cover the areas of learning well, providing a range of activities that children enjoy and that meets their interests. However, the quality of observations is variable and assessments are not consistently rigorous. Some assessments lack any purpose and planning is not always linked to children's specific learning needs. This means activities are not always linked to individual children's specific needs in order to challenge and extend their learning. For example, an activity is set out to encourage children to match beanbags to specific numbers. However, this activity is too difficult for some children and after a while staff encourage them to match the beanbags to the colours of the numbers instead. This demonstrates staff are not always aware of children's individual capabilities and do not pitch activities at the right level.

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who attend

The environment is suitably organised, providing children with an appropriate range of activities that are suited to their levels of development overall. These include a role-play area, where children can act out their ideas and make sense of their experiences. The book corner provides children with a selection of books for them to look at independently and listen to stories read by adults. The small world and construction area provides children with opportunities to be creative as they make models and other interesting things. Children are supported in developing their understanding of mathematical concepts through activities and daily experiences. For example, staff talk to children as they play with the water and containers, As children fill the containers up and empty them staff encourage use of mathematical language such as 'bigger', 'smaller', 'empty' and 'full'. In addition children join in with singing number songs, which help their understanding of

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who attend

number and counting. The pre-school learning environment provides children with numbers displays to support them in their recognition of numbers.

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who attend

The baby room provides the younger children with a range of resources that are stored at a low level, enabling them to easily choose what they wish to play with. These include a range of exploratory and discovery toys in which children show a real interest as they press the buttons and explore the sounds. Children, therefore, learn about simple technology. They also have access to range of appropriate books, which they enjoy sitting down with and sharing with staff. Children enjoy arts and crafts activities, where they explore the texture of the paints as they squeeze between their fingers. This promotes children's exploratory and sensory development.

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who attend

Children's acquisition of language is supported appropriately as they engage in regular conversations with staff. Staff ask a range of questions to test out children's levels of understanding. Children also have further opportunities to participate in discussions at group times. However, the organisation of some group times results in some children's needs not being met because they are inappropriately grouped together. For example, younger children who are unable to concentrate for long periods are sat in 'circle time' with older children. Younger children become restless and wander off or talk to other children, raising the noise levels. This means those children who wish to join in discussions are not easily able to.

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who attend

All children have regular opportunities to engage in physical activities. The outdoor environment provides children with a safe place to engage in physical activities and the separate baby area provides a range of suitable equipment for their ages and stages of development. However, the environment is not suitably resourced to provide children with experiences that complement all areas of learning. This somewhat limits learning opportunities across all areas for those children who learn better outside.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

All children have a key person, with whom they have developed positive relationships and secure bonds. Subsequently, children separate well from their main carers and quickly settle into activities in the nursery. Children are generally well behaved and developing in confidence. Babies, in particular benefit from the close attachments, care and attention they receive. Staff spend most of their time on their levels engaging them in new experiences. They follow their individual routines from home and demonstrate a suitable understanding of the care needs of this age range. Babies and young children have suitable rests throughout the day and staff are sensitive to children's needs when they wake up and rub their backs gently and offer them cuddles.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Behaviour is mostly good as children play well together and they generally respond well to request from staff. Staff are suitable role models and behave respectfully to the children. However, on occasions when children are showing signs of negative behaviour, staff do not always manage this well. For example, when children leave the table during mealtimes they are told to sit back down, but not always given an explanation of why they need to do this. When they ignore staff, it is not followed up and children do not sit back down. As a result, children are not being given consistent messages to support them in learning right from wrong.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Children are encouraged to be healthy through the daily routines. They have regular opportunities to play outside and engage in physical activity. They are encouraged to wash their hands as part of the daily routine before sitting to eat and the older children know why this is important. Children are provided with freshly prepared meals and snacks and drinking water is made freely available. Meals times are a social time, where children sit and talk together. There is some opportunity for older children to develop their self- help skills as they serve themselves and clear away their plates when they have finished. Children are able to enjoy their food and eat meals at their own pace.

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The contribution of the early years provision to the well-being of children

Staff work well with each other as they support children through smooth transitions from room to room. They are currently introducing systems to involve parents more in this process and in their children's learning. In addition, the staff demonstrate that they have developed suitable partnerships with other professionals and local schools in the area to support children as they prepare to move onto school.

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provision

Overall, the nursery is sufficiently led and managed and safeguarding arrangements are adequate. Sound systems are in place for the safe recruitment and vetting of staff and suitable induction procedures are in place. The provider is aware of their responsibilities in informing Ofsted of any changes to the person in day to day charge of the nursery and of any incident that may affect the welfare of a child. The inspection was brought forward due to a notification from the manager regarding incorrectly administered medication to a child. The nursery immediately reviewed its practice and has strict guidelines in place for the administration of medicines to children. This includes ensuring two members of staff are present to check dosage requirements and record dosage given. The inspection also found that staff do not always consistently manage children's behaviour in a way that helps them learn right from wrong. Nonetheless, staff are kind and caring to the children

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provision

and behave appropriately towards them, which promotes their well-being. The required policies and procedures are understood and on the whole appropriately implemented. Staff are suitably qualified for their roles and demonstrate a sound understanding of their roles in promoting the health and safety of children. They have a suitable knowledge of child protection issues and the procedures to follow in the event of concerns. In addition they know the procedure to follow if they have concerns about a colleague. Suitable adult to child ratios are maintained and staff are appropriately deployed throughout the setting.

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provision

Satisfactory partnerships have been established with parents, whereby contracts and written agreements are in place. They are kept regularly updated of the progress their children are making and they are encouraged to contribute their views about the setting through questionnaires.

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provision

Self-evaluation and performance management systems are in place, although they are not yet effective in tackling all the weaknesses in staff practice. Staff supervision is in place but is not fully effective in identifying all future training and development needs to improve the quality of teaching and learning. Staff provide suitable activities for the children overall, that help them make steady progress in their learning. However, they are not always sharply focussed on children's individual needs or adapted to their individual abilities. Most of the recommendations from the last inspection have been addressed and have a positive impact on the quality of children's experiences.

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The Childcare Register

The requirements for the compulsory part of the Childcare Register are Met The requirements for the voluntary part of the Childcare Register are Met

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding Outstanding provision is highly effective in meeting the needs of all children exceptionally well. This ensures that children are very well prepared for the next stage of their learning. Grade 2 Good Good provision is effective in delivering provision that meets the needs of all children well. This ensures children are ready for the next stage of their learning. Grade 3 Satisfactory Satisfactory provision is performing less well than expectations in one or more of the key areas. It requires improvement in order to be good. Grade 4 Inadequate Provision that is inadequate requires significant improvement and/or enforcement action. The provision is failing to give children an acceptable standard of early years education and/or is not meeting the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage. It will be inspected again within 12 months of the date of this inspection.

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Grade Judgement Description

Met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider continues to meet the requirements for registration. Not met The provision has no children on roll. The inspection judgement is that the provider does not meet the requirements for registration.

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Inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children’s learning, development and care, known as the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Setting details

Unique reference number 135405 Local authority Enfield Inspection number 910795 Type of provision Full-time provision Registration category Childcare - Non-Domestic Age range of children 0 - 5 Total number of places 70 Number of children on roll 104 Name of provider Raj Nagendran Date of previous inspection 20/04/2009 Telephone number 020 8804 4484

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Setting details

set out in the guidance ‘Complaints procedure: raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk.

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Type of provision

For the purposes of this inspection the following definitions apply:

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Type of provision

Full-time provision is that which operates for more than three hours. These are usually known as nurseries, nursery schools and pre-schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the higher fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Sessional provision operates for more than two hours but does not exceed three hours in any one day. These are usually known as pre-schools, kindergartens or nursery schools and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are registered on the Early Years Register and pay the lower fee for registration.

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Type of provision

Childminders care for one or more children where individual children attend for a period of more than two hours in any one day. They operate from domestic premises, which are usually the childminder’s own home. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Type of provision

Out of school provision may be sessional or full-time provision and is delivered before or after school and/or in the summer holidays. They are registered on the Early Years Register and must deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage. Where children receive their Early Years Foundation Stage in school these providers do not have to deliver the learning and development requirements in full but should complement the experiences children receive in school. achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children,

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Type of provision

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Type of provision

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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